Wire furniture.



W. H. THOMSON.

WIRE FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.15, 1907.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

fverziwv 25 $311 M M. fifilflmwy' WILLIAM H. THOMSON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

WIRE FURNITURE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

Application filed August 15, 1907. Serial No. 388,704.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, /VILLIAM H. THOMSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Furniture, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wire-furniture, such as chairs, stools, tables and similar articles, in which legs are provided which are formed of twisted wire connected by bracearms leading to a common center, at which point said arms are clamped together and the legs braced thereby.

The object of my invention is, the production of a simple and inexpensive clamp for the brace-arms, which has a finished appearance and can be quickly applied for connecting and bracing the several legs of the piece of furniture of which it forms part.

The invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts in the several views,Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the center clamp. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 4 is a section through the clamp taken on line 4-4:, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section through the clamp taken on line 5-5, Fig. 2.

The reference numeral 6 designates the chair-seat having a back 7 secured thereto, which is also formed of wire and may be of any desired construction. The chair-seat is surrounded by a metallic-band 8 to which the upper ends of legs 9 are secured. Each of said legs is preferably formed of two pieces of wire 10, 11; the wire being bent midway between its ends into the form of an eye, serving as a chair-foot and having its two strands directly above the eye twisted in brace-arms are clam ed. The upper member 14 has four radia lly disposed grooves 10 formed by bulging the sheet-metal inward, as at 17. The lower member is also provided with four radially disposed grooves 18, formed by bulging the metal thereof inward, as at 19, and said grooves terminate at their inner ends in a depression arranged centrally of said member and common to said grooves. The inner brace-arms are bent or curved downward slightly or at an obtuse angle at their inner extremities, as at 21, so as to partially enter the depression 20 in the lower member of the clamp, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and the side wal of said depression is shaped to correspond to the bent or curved extremities of said brace-arms.

The two members of the clamp are arranged so that their grooves coincide to receive the brace-arms, and said members have registering apertures 22 through which a bolt 23 is passed having a nut 24 applied to its lower threaded end. Surrounding said bolt between the upper member of the clamp and the downwardly curved extremities of the brace-arms, is a washer 25 which serves to prevent withdrawal of the latter from said clamp by reason of its acting to kee the curved ends of said brace-arms within t 1e de pression 20 arranged centrally of the lower member of the clamp. By bending or curving the extremities of the brace-arms at an obtuse-angle and curving or shaping the sidewalls accordingly, the brace-arms are drawn inward so that their ends are forced against the bolt 23 when the two members of the clamp are drawn toward each other by tightening the nut on said bolt. By means of such construction a very solid and rigid connection is obtained without the least play between the ends of the brace-arins. I consider this a very important feature of this invention, as the rigidity of the chair depends on the proper connection of the brace-arms.

Having thus described my invention, what common with the wire 11 to a point between I claim is,-

the ends of the legs, at which point the two strands of the wire 10 separate and have their ends secured to said metallic-band.

The wires 11 are directed to the center of the chair beneath the chair-seat, as at 12, to form brace-arms, and at a point common to the latter a clamp 13 is provided which is preferably stamped of sheet-metal, and comprises an upper member 14 and a lower member 15, between which the inner ends of the 1. In an article of furniture having supporting-legs, the combination of a plurality of legs, brace-arms leading inwardly from said legs toward a point common to all, and having their inner extremities slightly curved and a clamp comprising two connected members having cooperating grooves in which the inner ends of said brace-arms are held, the grooves of one of said members terminating in a common depression having curved side walls corresponding with the curved inner extremities of said brace-arms.

2. In an article of furniture having supporting-legs, the combination of a plurality of legs, brace-arms leading inwardly from said legs, and a clamp comprising two members having cooperating grooves in which the inner ends of said brace-arms are held, a bolt passing through said members and having a nut applied to its threaded end, and a washer surrounding said bolt and held between one of said members and the inner extremities of said brace-arms.

3. An article of furniture having supporting-legs, each leg being formed of two pieces of wire twisted from the bottom of the legs upward to a point between its ends, and one wire of each leg being directed inward to form brace-arms, the inner extremities of said brace-arms being curved downward, a

clamp comprising two members having cooperating grooves in which the inner ends of said brace-arms are held and having also coinciding apertures arranged centrally thereof, the lower member having a central depression into which the curved extremities of f I I a J l J I the brace-arms enter, a bolt passing through said coinciding apertures, a nut applied to the threaded ends of said bolt, and a washer surrounding said bolt and located between the curved extremities of the brace-arms and the upper member of the clamp.

4. In an article of furniture having supporting-legs, the combination of a plurality of legs, brace-arms extending inward from said legs and having their inner extremities curved or bent at an obtuse angle, and a clamp comprising two connected members, one of said members having grooves in which the inner end-portions of said brace-arms are held, said grooves having depressions at their inner ends with their walls at an obtuse angle to said grooves, said depressions receiving the curved or bent extremities of said bracearms.

In testimony whereof, I have aifixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. I

WILLIAM H. THOMSON. l/Vitnesses MABEL HE ITT, HARRY D. RAPP. 

